Military

Public Speaking

How did your military experience impact your success in corporate America?

Unlocking Success: How Military Experience Empowers Corporate Leaders

Y'all I absolutely love this question because it's so important to understand the skill set That veterans bring into corporate America, but veterans it's important to understand how you can utilize that skill set the biggest Experience that I had in the military was the ability to lead and develop high performing teams And so although I needed to learn the hard skills in order to really catapult where I was going in my personal career I did it by focusing on everybody else's career around me and building a team first families type environment and so I think when you can take that same culture that we have in the military of winning together and Then you couple it with the ability to absorb and learn those hard skills and the metrics and the KPIs That are relevant to corporate America and you can match those things in one space Your ability to lead develop and break record results at every company you're in will absolutely Be in the stratosphere compared to your peers and the other people around you So focus on other people build high-performing teams Learn those hard skills and then sit and know that you have the capability from your experiences in the military To help everybody including yourself when around you have a blessed day

Veterans bring the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams from their military experience. This combined with learning hard skills and understanding the metrics and KPIs of Corporate America can help veterans stand out from their peers and propel their own career.

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My military experience had a significant impact on my success in corporate America. The most valuable skill I gained was the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams. While I needed to acquire the necessary hard skills to advance in my personal career, I prioritized building a team-first, family-like environment. This culture of collaboration and shared success, which is ingrained in the military, proved to be a powerful asset in the corporate world.

By combining this team-oriented mindset with a willingness to learn and understand the metrics and key performance indicators relevant to corporate America, I was able to achieve remarkable results in every company I worked for. The ability to lead, develop, and consistently exceed expectations set me apart from my peers.

So, my advice to veterans entering corporate America is to focus on others, build high-performing teams, and continuously learn the hard skills required in your field. By leveraging your military experiences, you have the capability to make a positive impact on everyone around you, including yourself. Have a blessed day!

How did you create a fun and family-oriented work environment?

Building Unity and Fun in a Family-Oriented Work Environment

First of all, everything is focused around the team. If you got a bunch of individuals running everywhere trying to get theirs, you're never gonna win collectively. The power of the unity and building a team is everything to moving things forward. Once you've built that team environment, you can truly create a family environment. And so we would have so much fun. And I had sites in the Philippines and the US and what we personally did, which created a more fun competitive environment amongst everybody is we would match teams up in the US and in the Philippines, and we sent a giant trophy to the center there. And what we were able to do is those two teams, the US and Philippine teams, would have to collectively have the best metrics for the month. And then they would both win the same exact trophy in both centers. It was a way to bring both those environments together. And better yet, everybody applauded and celebrated in the center. 500, 600 employees all celebrating each other and winning together. That's what I'm talking about.

Creating a team environment is key to success. To further foster this, I matched up teams in the US and Philippines and sent a giant trophy to each center. This created a fun, competitive environment where everyone celebrated each other's success together.

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Creating a fun and family-oriented work environment starts with building a strong team. It's crucial to foster unity and collaboration among team members rather than individuals solely focused on their own goals. Once the team environment is established, a family-like atmosphere can be cultivated.

In my experience, we had sites in both the Philippines and the US. To create a more enjoyable and competitive environment, we matched teams from both locations and sent a giant trophy to the center. The goal was for both the US and Philippine teams to collectively achieve the best metrics for the month. When they succeeded, both teams were awarded the same trophy in their respective centers. This initiative brought the two environments together and encouraged celebration and applause from all employees. It was a way for 500 to 600 employees to come together, support each other, and experience the joy of winning as a team.

By prioritizing teamwork, implementing friendly competition, and celebrating collective achievements, we were able to create a fun and family-oriented work environment where everyone felt connected and supported.

The Secret to Exceptional Leadership: Genuine Care and Long-Term Impact

In 25 years of extensive leadership experience, what I found, the things that make the best leaders is somebody who actually genuinely cares about their folks. Look, here's the reality. What you're doing as a leader today will affect people one, three, five years from now, even a decade from now in where their career is at, maybe where their family's at, the way that they're leading other people. What I found is there's typically three different types of leaders. There's the one leader that people can't wait till you leave because you're a, you know what? There's the second leader that isn't even memorable. People don't really remember your name. They don't know where you went. They just don't even really care. And the third leader is the one that transcends both the professional and the personal environment. The third leader is the one that people talk about five years from now as somebody who really changed their life. So taking that lens, taking that approach, asking for feedback from people, that is how you become an exceptional leader.

The best leaders are those who genuinely care for their people and strive to help them succeed. They are also the ones that people remember years later as having changed their lives. To become an exceptional leader, they must be willing to ask for feedback from their people.

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In my 25 years of extensive leadership experience, I have found that the key to becoming a good leader is genuinely caring about your team. The impact of your leadership today can affect people's lives and careers for years to come. 

There are typically three types of leaders. The first type is someone that people can't wait to see leave because of their negative impact. The second type is forgettable, with people not even remembering their name or caring about their presence. The third type is the exceptional leader who transcends both the professional and personal environment. This leader is remembered and talked about years later as someone who truly made a positive difference in people's lives.

To become an exceptional leader, it is important to approach leadership with this mindset and seek feedback from your team. By genuinely caring about your team members and continuously improving based on their feedback, you can become the kind of leader that positively impacts and changes lives.

What strategies did you use to become an executive in a Fortune 300 company?

Key to Executive Success: Focus on Taking Care of Your People

There's so many different ways you can attack this problem set on how do you really attain that executive role in a fortune 300. So for me it was a little bit different. I ran the Navy's human intelligence program right before I retired from the military and so for me I had to have some humility as I transferred out of the military realize I didn't have the hard skills to really be successful in corporate America yet and take a role that was far less amount of responsibility than I had when I was still active duty as a naval intelligence officer. What I found though the number one key in my opinion is ensuring that you take care of your people. There is nothing more important because if you're taking care of your people, if you're giving them a voice, if you're including them on problem-solving, if you're helping develop their careers, they will take care of the day-to-day and everything that needs to run. So keep focused on that. That is the number one strategy for success. Have a blessed day!

The key to success in attaining an executive role in a fortune 300 company is to take care of your people. Show them you value their input, give them the opportunity to grow in their careers, and ensure they have what they need to do their jobs well.

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There are various strategies one can employ to achieve an executive role in a Fortune 300 company. In my case, my journey was a bit different. I served as the head of the Navy's human intelligence program before retiring from the military. As I transitioned into the corporate world, I had to acknowledge that I lacked certain hard skills necessary for success in corporate America. Consequently, I initially took on a role with less responsibility than what I had in the military.

In my opinion, the most crucial strategy for success is prioritizing the well-being of your team. Taking care of your people is paramount. By giving them a voice, involving them in problem-solving, and supporting their career development, they will be empowered to handle the day-to-day operations and ensure everything runs smoothly. Keeping this focus on your team is the number one key to success.

Wishing you a blessed day!

Walt McKinley answers your Military questions. See all the advice Walt McKinley has and get answers to your own Military questions.

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Walter McKinley is an inspirational speaker, trainer, and #1 best-selling author of "Monsters In My House, A True Story." He helps people create a positive mindset, heal trauma, build resilience, communicate better, and provide world-class customer service. His captivating talks draw from his own childhood journey of extreme trauma, fourteen moves, homelessness, and attempted teen suicide. He's a retired Naval Intelligence Officer and former Fortune 300 Corporate Executive with over 25 years of leadership experience. Walt's diverse life experience shows that your history doesn't define your legacy. He helps audiences unlock their potential and use their past as rocket fuel for the future. He's a voice of leadership, healing, and success.